Mercedes-Benz lifts the new super car to the roof terrace of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Resting 42 meters (137.8′) above ground, the car is part of a new exhibit dedicated to the awe-inspiring SLS AMG.

Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing

Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing on the Race Track

Mercedes-Benz' marketing department understands the value of building relationships with the company's existing and target customers. They also understand the most cost-effective delivery channel for this marketing tactic is the Internet.

Mixed Tape, an email marketing program by Mercedes-Benz USA, has just launched the 23rd compilation of free MP3 music files for your listening pleasure while tooling around in your AMG. In addition, they have significantly expanded the program with their online TV show featuring audio-visual highlights from around the world.

Here's the current press release and a link to the free music files for those interested:

Mixed Tape 23 and a new edition of Mixed Tape Music Magazine – now online

Be among the first to watch edition #9 of the Mixed Tape Music Magazine on our dedicated online TV platform. And there is more: Check out Mixed Tape 23 with a cool selection of brand new tracks.

Every eight weeks, Mercedes-Benz not only presents ten handpicked tracks by international newcomers for you to check out and explore as a free download compilation at www.mercedes-benz.tv/mixedtape. For added visual delights, we give you Mixed Tape Music Magazine, an innovative monthly online TV show featuring audio-visual highlights from around the world.

This month's motto says it all: "Hip-Hop Don't Stop". It was almost thirty years ago that Hip-Hop evolved from its underground roots to grip mainstream consciousness with "Rapper's Delight" – and it hasn't let off ever since.

We give you the latest music videos by up-and-coming talent Jendor from California, Amsterdam's Pete Philly & Perquisite and New York's resident hipsters the Retro Kidz – plus a true classic by West Coast heroes The Pharcyde. In addition, look out for the first five artists from our Mixed Tape 23 download compilation!

Hip Hop Don't Stop? Judge for yourself on Mixed Tape Music Magazine #9! 
Mercedes-Benz USA Mixed Tape: www.mercedes-benz.tv/mixedtape

Here’s what we found surfing the web for you this week:

• RENNTECH’s Package 2, 63 Series AMG (Press Release)
• MB Customer Satisfaction is on the Rise (JD Powers Study)
• Britney Spears Rolls in an AMG SL65 (Video)
• Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow is Robocar 2057 (Design Challenge)

AMG Market News Summary

Lake Park, FL, Oct. 30, 2007: RENNtech has developed a new line of aftermarket performance products aimed at getting more power out of the 63 series AMG Mercedes-Benz. RENNtech, generally regarded as the nation’s foremost authority on Mercedes-Benz performance tuning, took something of an “old school” approach towards building its new high-tech products.

“The new AMG motor isn’t like the last generation of turbo or kompressor cars,” explains Hartmut Feyhl, president of RENNtech and former technical director of AMG North America. “This new engine is naturally aspirated, like a more traditional race motor, and the way to get more power out of an engine like the 63 is to improve the engine’s breathing.”To that end, Feyhl and his crew at RENNtech have built new exhaust headers and high-flow sport mufflers, from 304 TiG welded stainless-steel, and developed new engine control software to further boost the engine’s efficiency – and, while “bigger pipes” might seem like a no-brainer, in this case, bigger wasn’t better. (RENNTECH’s Package 2, 63 Series AMG press release here).

MONTVALE, N.J., Nov. 14, 2007, AMG Market News – Customer satisfaction is on the rise for Mercedes-Benz according to J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI). The brand is once again among the five top-ranked nameplates.

The study rates nameplates on five unique aspects of the retail experience: dealership facilities, salespeople, paperwork/finance processes, delivery processes and vehicle pricing. Ernst Lieb, president of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) commented,

“Over the past year, we have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of every aspect of our customer interface – from our corporate headquarters to dealership service bays.  In partnership with our dealers, we’ve committed ourselves to ensuring that we have the best tools and the best processes in place to meet the needs of our customers.  These study results are a gratifying validation from Mercedes-Benz owners.”

Britney Spears rolls out of Keyes Mercedes-Benz on Van Nuys Boulevard (Sherman Oaks, CA) with a new AMG SL65. She test drove the G-Wagon but settled on the AMG; she may actually be smarter than she looks.

Britney Spears in her Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65

In other news:

Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow is Robocar 2057
AMG Market/PR News, Los Angeles, Nov. 16, 2007: A car with extended, elegant lines which can change its form at the touch of a button and adapt to the requirements of its owners at any time – this is the automotive vision that Mercedes-Benz is presenting at the Los Angeles Design Challenge taking place at the 2007 L.A. Auto Show. When required, this Mercedes of the future can take on the form of a fast highway cruiser, quickly metamorphose into a compact city car, or become a roomy one-seater or economical two-seater, depending on the transport capacity needed. This is made possible by the magnetic control elements of the SilverFlow, a futuristic study by Mercedes-Benz, which take just seconds to configure the car required from tiny metallic particles.

Design Challenge is a competition where eight car design studios in southern California are challenged to create the “Robocar 2057″ as a combination of vehicle technology and artificial intelligence. The Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center of North America (Irvine, CA) looked 50 years into the future and came up with the shimmering silver and gold Vision SilverFlow car. With its long, flowing lines and narrow, exposed wheels, this vision of the future is highly reminiscent of the golden years in motor racing during the 1930s.

In fact the physical characteristics of the SilverFlow are even more exciting than its shape. It consists of billions of microscopically tiny metallic particles which are formed into variable but stable configurations by magnetic fields. This means that the driver can theoretically adapt the vehicle to its intended purpose. The one-seater highway configuration is aerodynamic, while the city version is short and spacious. The pre-programmed vehicle variants can be selected at any time at the touch of a button, whereupon the assembler electronics reshape the car from one form to another within a few seconds – specialists refer to this as morphing. Any desired shape is conceivable in principle. As a particularly convenient feature when parking, the intelligent control system completely disassembles the vehicle structure and compacts the ferro-magnetic particles into a small, space-saving configuration. And thanks to these flexible metallic particles, dents and paint damage are also a thing of the past.

The disadvantage of the Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow is that so far, it only exists as a two-dimensional graphic design.The SilverFlow study, which – if at all – will only be realizable decades into the future, clearly shows that while car designers certainly live in the present, their working environment is the future.

Is Mercedes-Benz next? An article published in AdAge earlier this month indicates auto magazine publishers are turning to new digital tools – "Virtual Test Drives" – to boost ad revenues. Car and Driver and Road & Track have jumped on the band-wagon in a big way; Ford and Chevrolet have already signed up.

Beware of this new form of "advertorial." Let's hope unbiased auto reviews and other valued editorial content are not a thing of the past. Hat-tip to MarketingVOX for alerting us to the story.

[Note: the original article is available to paid subscribers only so we are unable to provide a direct link to the source of this story.]

Considered the fastest sedan in the world, the Brabus Rocket (Mercedes-Benz CLS V12) is from the Tuner GP in Hockenheim, Germany. Some people don't even consider this a Mercedes-Benz CLS anymore because it is so heavily modified by Brabus. It is also referred to as the "Brabus CLS V12 S Rocket." You can view pictures at: Brabus Rocket – Wikimedia Commons and a police car version at automotive news. Here's a YouTube video (in German) for those interested:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LShZ9_Rzbqs[/youtube]

Our friends over at Cellounge Automobiles have a comprehensive review of the Mercedes-Benz E Class, which includes pics and a few YouTube videos. Read their full review at:

Cellounge Automobiles – 2007 MB E Class Review

There are several spy video’s available for the 2008 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63. Here’s one of the better clips:

2008 AMG C63 – Mercedes-Benz, Video

Slow Walking Granny Hits Mercedes-Benz with her Bag, funny video. Click the read more link below to view the video on another page.

Althought the SLK is significantly lighter than the SL55, 50,000 lbs vs. 96,000 lbs respectively, it is hard to compare the two. The SL55 weighs in at twice the price as well. Both start with the same 5.4 liter, V-8 engine, but with a supercharger on the SL55 you would expect it to out perform the SLK. This video is worth watching if you’re in the market for either car although the extent of the comparison is more qualitative than quantitative.

Mercedes-Benz SLK55 vs SL55 – Video